Nicholas Latifi says Formula One could do more to help drivers deal with social media abuse.
Latifi received death threats after his late crash at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December triggered a chain of events which saw Max Verstappen overtake Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the season to claim the world title.
The driver revealed he hired security on a recent trip to London as he felt he and his family were in danger following the threats. He is now trying to encourage those in the sport and officials to open up on the topic.
“It is a very serious topic, especially now more than ever,” said the Williams driver. “Maybe in previous years it was a topic people didn’t want to speak about but it is one of the most important things in modern times so I think it is important to be open to talking about certain things.
“I know Lando [Norris] is one of the outspoken drivers about it and I think everyone, drivers, teams, the organisation as a whole, it is something that can definitely be pushed a little bit more.”
Lewis Hamilton has also spoken about the issue recently and gave his full support to Latifi. The seven-time champions said pressure needs to be put on social media companies in order to stamp out abuse.
The Mercedes star said: “We still have to apply pressure for them to make changes. Mental health is a real thing and through these social platforms, people are experiencing abuse. No one deserves that and it should never be tolerated.
“They’re able to change these things and make changes. But they don’t seem to do it quick enough. So, I think we just need to continue to apply pressure.”
